11 July 2025 The Future is the Product of the Past

Incredibly Rare Tyrian Purple Discovered at Carlisle Roman bathhouse

A rare archaeological object – thought to be the only one of its type in the former Roman Empire – has been discovered in Carlisle, England. The remnants of the Roman bathhouse at the Carlisle Cricket Club have revealed an extremely rare chunk of Tyrian purple dye, the first of its kind ever discovered in northern Europe and possibly the entire Roman Empire.

The Luguvalium Roman settlement dates back to the 3rd century during the reign of Emperor Septimius Severus. The discovery was made in the drainage section of a monumental structure believed to be a Roman bathhouse.

Known as “imperial purple,” tyrian purple was an extremely valuable dye in ancient Rome because of its rich, vivid color, which denoted imperial authority, wealth, and status. It took a lot of resources and labor-intensive procedures to produce even small amounts, as it was made from thousands of crushed sea snails (Bolinus brandaris) from the Mediterranean. This rarity and exclusivity meant that it was more valuable than gold, sometimes up to three times as much by weight.

Following its discovery, the pigment was further investigated by specialists at the University of Newcastle and analyzed with assistance from the British Geological Society. The analysis showed that the pigment had high bromine and beeswax content, almost certainly proving that it was Tyrian purple.

 The discovery is noteworthy because Tyrian purple is rarely found in its solid state; the paint used in murals or on high-status coffins, such as those discovered in Pompeii and Roman Egypt, is the most common form of Tyrian purple discovery.

Carlisle is the ancient Roman Luguvalium. Photo: Historic England
Carlisle is the ancient Roman Luguvalium. Photo: Historic England

It was most famously produced around the city of Tyre in the Eastern Mediterranean which gives it its name. Tyre is in modern-day Lebanon. It was also produced in North Africa, and off the coast of Morocco too.

Tyrian Purple clad kings and emperors from the Bronze Age to the Persians, to Alexander the Great, to Cleopatra VII, to the Romans, and then Charlemagne and the Byzantines. Sometimes the dye was used on clothes, but it was also used to paint walls in grand public buildings, and the homes and properties of the elite (including walls of bathhouses).

Frank Giecco, Technical Director at Wardell Armstrong, remarked on the importance of this find, stating, During millennia, Tyrian purple was the most expensive and coveted color in the world. Its presence in Carlisle, combined with other evidence from the excavation, reinforces the hypothesis that the building was associated with the Imperial Court of Emperor Septimius Severus, who was in York, and possibly related to an imperial visit to Carlisle.

“Other evidence being an inscription stone to the Empress Julia Domna, the date of the monumental building – among the largest on Hadrian’s Wall – coinciding with Emperor Septimius Severus campaigns in Scotland, and an ancient source stating Septimius Severus was in Carlisle, and the high quality of the objects discovered at the bathhouse, granting of civic status to the local Celtic tribal capital at Carlisle; which in effect is the beginning of the city of Carlisle.

The discovery of Tyrian purple in Carlisle is an unusual occurrence, particularly in northern Europe. Its implications extend beyond the pigment itself, implying that the Roman bathhouse may have been linked to imperial power or visited by high-ranking officials. This link to the Roman court raises new questions about the site’s significance and role in the larger Roman Empire.

Wardell Armstrong

Cover photo: Tyrian purple fragment found at Carlisle, England. Wardell Armstrong

Related Articles

Bronze belt of Urartian warrior found in the ancient city Satala

29 May 2022

29 May 2022

During the excavations in the ancient city of Satala, located in the Kelkit district of Gümüşhane province in Turkey, a...

A surprising discovery in Lublin countryside! Ancient figurines of Egyptian and Roman gods found

6 May 2023

6 May 2023

Two ancient figurines depicting the Egyptian god Osiris and a bust of the Roman god Bacchus were found in the...

Archaeologists say they have found the lost city of Natounia, belonging to the Parthian Empire

20 July 2022

20 July 2022

Researchers suggest they may have identified the lost Parthian city of Natounia in the Zagros Mountains of Iraqi Kurdistan. Although...

A 2,000-year-old whistle was found in a child’s grave in the ruins of Assos, Turkey

18 October 2022

18 October 2022

A terracotta whistle believed to be 2,000 years old from the Roman era and placed as a gift in a...

Homo Bodoensis may be the ancestor of modern humans

28 October 2021

28 October 2021

Although modern humans are the only surviving human lineages, their kinship with other human species that roamed the world is...

Colossae Ancient City Excavation Works Begin

8 September 2021

8 September 2021

Excavations of the ancient city of Colossae, located in the Honaz district of Denizli province in western Turkey, are starting...

A Lynx Buried with Four Big Dogs in an Ancient Roman Well in Hungary

17 April 2024

17 April 2024

Archaeologists have discovered the skeleton of an adult male lynx accompanied by four big dogs in a Roman-era pit in...

A mosaic made by the freed slave to thank God was found in the church excavation

10 January 2022

10 January 2022

During the season excavation of the 6th-century Holy Apostles Church, located in an orange grove in the Arsuz district of...

A 130,000-year-old Stingray Sand Sculpture on South Africa’s Coast May Be the World’s Oldest Animal Art

4 April 2024

4 April 2024

Analyzing this object, which at first glance looks like a symmetrical rock, the research team speculated that it could be...

The history of Kültepe Mound in central Turkey goes back another 300 years

12 December 2021

12 December 2021

In Kültepe, where the first written documents of Anatolia were unearthed, the date based on 5 thousand years was updated...

6,000-year-old island settlement found off the Croatian coast

24 June 2021

24 June 2021

Archaeologist Mate Parica, a professor at the University of Zadar, noticed something unusual while examining satellite images of Croatia‘s coastline....

A Medieval ‘Vampire’ Grave Found in Croatia

1 February 2025

1 February 2025

Research at the Rašaška (or Račeša) site, located in the eastern part of Croatia, revealed a grave with an unusual...

Sensational find in Ephesus: more than 1,400-year-old district discovered

29 October 2022

29 October 2022

During this year’s excavations at Ephesus in Turkey, archaeologists from the Austrian Academy of Sciences (AW) discovered an incredibly well-preserved...

1-meter tall bronze statue found in China’s Sanxingdui Ruins-Video

17 June 2022

17 June 2022

Chinese archaeologists have discovered a 1-meter tall bronze statue at the site of ancient Sanxingdui ruins site in southwest China’s...

Advanced imaging techniques reveal secrets of sealed ancient Egyptian animal coffins

21 April 2023

21 April 2023

Researchers from the British Museum have gained valuable insight into the contents of six sealed ancient Egyptian animal coffins using...